Tellem Gets Top Post

Viacom Inc. co-president/chief operating officer and CBS chairman Les Moonves is reorganizing CBS’ West Coast operations, elevating veteran Nancy Tellem, the broadcaster’s president of entertainment, to president of CBS Paramount Network Television Entertainment Group, a new post overseeing both CBS Entertainment and Paramount Network Television.

Nina Tassler, CBS’ head of drama development, is taking over as president of CBS Entertainment.

As part of the restructuring, Moonves is bringing CBS Productions under the Paramount Network Television umbrella. David Stapf, most recently head of current programming for CBS Entertainment, is president of the combined studio operation. But Garry Hart, president of Paramount Television Productions since 2002, is exiting, though he will work as an independent producer for Paramount.

At the new Paramount group, Maria Crenna will be EVP, supervising drama and comedy development. She most recently was EVP of CBS Productions.

At CBS, Moonves upped Kelly Kahl to SVP of programming operations. He will coordinate all CBS programming and direct scheduling and program planning for CBS and UPN and supervise coordination between the two broadcast networks’ business arms.

Spelling Television will remain an independent unit, reporting directly to Moonves. UPN Entertainment chief Dawn Ostroff will also report in to Moonves. The reorganization does not affect the company’s syndication arms, Paramount Domestic Television or King World.